Social Media – it’s a part of our everyday life. Having said this, we must exercise care in how we use social media to both obtain and distribute information to each other. In addition, we must align our expectations as to what business can be conducted in these open forums with the duty of Union representatives to confidentially conduct Union business. Union business should always be conducted outside the watchful eyes of management.
As we’ve said repeatedly, no one should ever have an expectation of privacy on any social media platform even when in “secure” or “private” areas. We must always use discretion and exercise due diligence when posting or sharing information on these sites.
As Members in our Flight Attendant Union community, open discussion about provisions of our Contract should never take place in a forum that is subject to management scrutiny. The same applies to our view of SOPs, FARs & security matters. None of this should ever be debated or presented on social media sites because it can potentially compromise our safety and that of our flying partners because, whether in a private room or not, we can never guarantee who will see this information and how it may be misused.
When we discuss workplace issues in a public forum, we always run the risk that our conversations or concerns will be misunderstood by management. These “private public” discussions in the hands of management are rarely understood in the way Flight Attendants may have meant the discussion to take place. Most especially, reviewing details of incidents that occur during the course of a work day has the potential to put you and possibly others in jeopardy of disciplinary action when, not if, your post ends up in the hands of those not intended to be part of the discussion.
AFA has resources and volunteers available to assist you in improving your understanding of policies, procedures, FARs, and SOPs. You are strongly encouraged to use these confidential resources to resolve issues and address concerns in the workplace or with flying partners.
Your official source of Union information should be your Union’s website – www.unitedafa.org. It is one of the best and most thorough resources for Flight Attendants to utilize when seeking information. This website is tied directly to the Official AFA United MEC Facebook page, which contains our weekly news and updates on matters that affect our careers and our profession.
Additionally, your Locally Elected Council Leadership is always available to confidentially answer questions or concerns via email or their official Union phone numbers. The Locally Elected Officers and Local Council volunteers are all highly trained to assist the Membership while always protecting your contractual rights and your privacy.
As a reminder, for your protection we encourage Flight Attendants to review the United AFA Social Media Policy and remember to contact your Local CouncilOffice for all your AFA needs.